521 - How to build better healthcare technology

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, host Peter Birch speaks with Dr Jason Brown, Chief Digital Health Officer at Metro North Health; Dr Rae Donovan, Acting Chief Clinical Information Officer of eHealth Queensland; Dr Mia McLanders, Manager of Research and Innovation at Metro North Health; Fiona Armstrong, CEO at Liquid; and Kate Wylie, Director of Health at Liquid, exploring why healthcare technology so often misses the mark. 

The discussion dives into why projects fail to scale, how local needs can be balanced with system reform, the importance of genuine co-design, and why adoption, rather than rollout, decides whether healthtech delivers benefit for clinicians and patients.

This episode was recorded at the Clinical Skills Development Service at Metro North Health in Brisbane, during a special Future Led panel event hosted by THT+ partners Liquid. 

The event brought together clinicians, designers and innovators to discuss collaboration, smarter procurement, and systemic reform in healthcare technology.

Key Takeaways

• Technology in healthcare is frequently bolted on as an afterthought, often addressing symptoms rather than fundamental causes. This results in fragmented, clunky workflows for clinicians and patients.
• The healthcare system is highly interconnected, and solving one workflow in isolation may create issues elsewhere. Successful innovation requires a systems approach.
• Systemic reform needs proactive planning, investment in 'invisible plumbing' (like data standards and interoperability), and a shift away from short-term, patchwork funding.
• True co-design puts every stakeholder at the table from the beginning, not just for sign-off at the end. Sustainable change comes from interdisciplinary collaboration, not silos.

Check out the episode and full show notes on the Talking HealthTech website.

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